1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of present invention relate to an image forming apparatus, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus that includes a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and in which tag information of the plurality of RFID tags can be processed using a single reader interrogator.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus, such as, for example, a laser printer, photocopier, or facsimile printer, it may be desirable to obtain or process identification data or operational data regarding the apparatus.
Accordingly, an image forming apparatus may be equipped with a radio communication system that can read and write information regarding the image forming apparatus. A radio communication system may include a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag, a reader capable of communicating with the RFID tag via radio waves, and a controller controlling the RFID tag and the reader.
Since information can be transmitted in an image forming apparatus through radio communication without using connection terminals, etc., the structure of an image forming apparatus can be simplified, in comparison, for example, to an apparatus in which information is transmitted through wires.
However, currently available communication techniques using radio frequency identification typically enable only one-to-one communication between a reader and an RFID tag. This creates a disadvantage in an image forming apparatus that uses a plurality of RFID tags, since a plurality of readers, equal to the number of RFIDs, are required, thereby increasing the material costs and the design complexity.